Casinos and other forms of gaming comprise a growing multi-billion dollar industry that is continually looking for new and better ways to provide and administer a wide array of gaming activities and to attract and retain players through exciting game play, as well as various player perks, conveniences and player friendly programs and devices. Many casinos and gaming operators are quite responsive to player preferences and trends, and are also proactive in implementing new and better games, programs and systems in order to maintain or improve player convenience, satisfaction and interest levels. As an example of responsiveness to player trends and preferences, the casino and gaming industries have implemented increasing numbers and percentages of electronic and advanced gaming machines as these industries have experienced a marked shift over the past few decades in player preferences from table games to gaming machines, and from fully mechanical gaming machines to electronic and microprocessor based gaming machines. Other examples of new and improved player friendly programs and devices include forays into cashless gaming and various player tracking and reward programs, among others.
Although the present discussion and invention can encompass all forms of gaming and even implementations outside of a general gaming context, the discussion herein shall be primarily focused on gaming machines for purposes of convenience and illustration. In a typical gaming machine, such as a video poker or slot machine, a game play is first initiated through a player wager of money or credit, whereupon the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents the game outcome to the player and then potentially dispenses an award of some type, including a monetary award, depending on the game outcome. Although this process is generally true for both mechanical and electronic gaming machines, the electronic machines tend to be more popular with players and thus more lucrative for casinos for a number of reasons, such as increased game varieties, more attractive and dynamic presentations and the ability to award larger jackpots. In addition, electronic gaming machines are typically much better adapted for use in conjunction with the various cashless gaming and player tracking programs that are offered within the industry.
Electronic and microprocessor based gaming machines can include a number of hardware and software components to provide a wide variety of game types and game playing capabilities, with such hardware and software components being generally well known in the art. A typical electronic gaming machine will have a central processing unit (“CPU”) or master gaming controller (“MGC”) that controls various combinations of hardware and software devices and components that encourage game play, allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and control payouts and other awards. Software components can include, for example, boot and initialization routines, various game play programs and subroutines, credit and payout routines, image and audio generation programs, various component modules and a random number generator, among others. Exemplary hardware devices can include bill validators, coin acceptors, card readers, keypads, buttons, levers, touch screens, coin hoppers, ticket printers, player tracking units and the like.
In addition, each gaming machine can have various audio and visual display components that can include, for example, speakers, display panels, belly and top glasses, exterior cabinet artwork, lights, and top box dioramas, as well as any number of video displays of various types to show game play and other assorted information, with such video display types including, for example, a cathode ray tube (“CRT”), a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), a light emitting diode (“LED”), a flat panel display and a plasma display, among others. Apparatuses and methods for providing displays in gaming machines and/or within a casino are generally well known, and instances of such apparatuses and methods can be found in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,971,271; 6,135,884; 6,251,014; and 6,503,147, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes. Again, while the present disclosure focuses on gaming machines, it will be readily understood that that the following discussions and inventive examples can be expanded to all aspects of gaming and to implementations outside of a gaming context in some instances.
One way of gaining and maintaining interest in game play is through the use of cashless gaming, whereby players do not need to deal with the hassle of cash, coins, jammed devices, insufficient cash on hand for jackpot payouts and other such inconveniences associated with game play. Various items and devices that are usable in cashless gaming systems include cashless instruments such as smart cards or other types of player tracking cards, paper tickets and the like, as well as card readers, ticket printers, ticket readers and validators, network servers and specialized ticket terminals, among others. A particular example of a cashless gaming system is the EZPay™ system by IGT of Reno, Nev. Other specific examples of uses and implementations of such systems and networks involving the same or other similar cashless gaming instruments and systems can be found in co-pending and commonly owned U.S. application Ser. No. 09/544,884 by Rowe, et al. filed Apr. 7, 2000, entitled “Wireless Gaming Environment;” U.S. application Ser. No. 09/684,382 by Rowe filed Aug. 25, 2000, entitled “Cashless Transaction Clearinghouse;” U.S. application Ser. No. 09/718,974 by Rowe filed Nov. 22, 2000, entitled “EZPAY™ Smart Card and Ticket System;” and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/660,984 by Espin, et al. filed Sep. 13, 2000, entitled “Transaction Signature,” with each of the foregoing references being incorporated herein in its entirety and for all purposes.
Another way of gaining and maintaining interest in game play is through the use of various player tracking programs, loyalty credit or point programs, or other such player reward programs that are offered at various casinos. Such programs are generally well known in the art, and typically provide player rewards that correspond to the level of patronage or betting activity engaged in by a player. Such rewards tend to be in the form of complimentary items or “comps,” which may include, for example, free or reduced rates on meals, lodging, entertainment and the like. These rewards may help to sustain the interest of a player in additional game play during a visit to a gaming establishment, and may also encourage player loyalty by enticing a player to return to a gaming establishment having a rewards program of which the player is a member. When a player wants to play a game at a gaming machine or other gaming event location and also utilize any player tracking service or loyalty program that may be offered at a gaming establishment, the player typically inserts a player tracking card such as a magnetic striped card or other like instrument into a player tracking unit having a card reader at the gaming machine or gaming event location. After the magnetic striped card has been inserted, the player tracking unit may detect this event, receive certain identification information contained on the card, and hold the card during gaming activities at the gaming machine or other gaming event location. Wagering and gaming activities of the player are tracked and noted while the card is in the player tracking unit, and such information may be recorded as desired, such as on a central player tracking server. Loyalty credits or points may be awarded to the player based upon the amount of game play and/or other factors, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art. When the player is finished at a particular gaming machine or gaming event location, the player then retrieves his or her player tracking card from the card reader.
The current state of the art in many of the foregoing and similar systems requires that items such as card readers, ticket printers, ticket readers and validators and other components, as well as player cards, tickets and other cashless instruments be used. Unfortunately, each of these added items tends to result in some amount of initial costs, overhead and maintenance when implementing and operating such cashless gaming systems. Further costs for some items, such as paper tickets and ink, can be counted on as recurring costs that will typically never end. Also, many card readers require that a player insert a card into the reader for an extended period of time, often for an entire gaming session, which can be inconvenient at least with respect to players not having control over their cards or other instruments at all times.
While present systems and methods for cashless gaming and player tracking and rewards have certainly proved to be important and successful, there is always room for improvement and innovation in these areas. In particular, there exists a desire for improved systems and methods for cashless gaming and player tracking that provide even more conveniences to players, and in particular for such systems and methods to facilitate automated cashless transactions and player tracking activities within a gaming environment while allowing players to retain full control of their player tracking cards or other such instruments at all times.